


Turn and Face the Strange

by Snacky



Category: Newsflesh Trilogy - Mira Grant
Genre: Christmas, F/M, Post-Canon, Series Spoilers, Yuletide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-23
Updated: 2013-12-23
Packaged: 2018-01-05 16:13:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1095998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snacky/pseuds/Snacky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The clone was a 97% match to the old Georgia Mason. Shaun and George notice the 3%.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Turn and Face the Strange

**Author's Note:**

  * For [patho (ghostsoldier)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostsoldier/gifts).



> For the prompt: _slice-of-life domestic fic about Shaun and Georgia_. A little fluff, a little angst, a little Christmas.

Shaun has always known the softer side of George, the side she hid away from everyone else, from their parents, from the world. George had been as tough as nails from the time she realized the truth about the Masons. Her clothes, her earpieces, her sunglasses — it was the armor she wore to protect herself, from the spotlight the Masons shone on them, from the prying eyes of the curious world, from the harshness of the truths she insisted on telling. 

But this George, this new George, she's softer somehow. Maybe it's the hair that she doesn't cut, that grows out long, and falls in dark waves around her shoulders, that Shaun loves to play with, when he has her in his arms. He twists one of the dark curls around his finger, then lets it slip away, marveling at the softness of it, the sleek feel of it in his hands.

Maybe it's her eyes, no longer covered, always looking right back at him. Before, he used to dream of George without her sunglasses, saw her in his mind's eye standing in the sunlight, with her eyes clear and sharp. But the reality is, when this George gazes at him, her eyes are soft and so is her smile, and Shaun recognizes that look, because he knows it's mirrored on his own face.

 

~|~

 

**Ways George is Different:**

#17. Who knew I'd miss the sunglasses?

_-From Hail to the King, the blog of Shaun Mason. Unpublished._

 

~|~

 

**Things I remember from before:**

#381. My hair was always short. It was for convenience more than anything.

But now I look in the mirror and my hair is long, and it's a reminder that as close as 97% is, it's not a complete match. I need the little differences, I think, to remember that 3% is not the same Georgia as before.

_-From Living Dead Girl, the blog of Georgia Mason II. Unpublished._

 

~|~

 

The first place they stay when they arrive in Canada is in a big apartment building in Toronto, full of people: young and old, families and strangers, businessmen and bloggers, housewives and students. And kittens. For some reason, this apartment building is _crawling_ with kittens.

Shaun has never had any particular fondness for kittens, or animals at all, really - aside from large zombie ones that were exciting to poke at, but that was really more of an interest than a fondness. And if asked, he would have said George didn't really care about animals that much either.

Until the day he comes home from a grocery run, and finds George in their tiny apartment with a small black and white kitten, crouched on the floor beside it, as it drinks from a saucer of milk.

He stops just inside the door, staring for a moment, until George looks up at him. 

"Her name is Momi. And we're keeping her," is all she says.

 

~|~

 

**Ways George is Different:**

#23. She likes cats.

_-From Hail to the King, the blog of Shaun Mason. Unpublished._

 

~|~

 

**Things I remember from before:**

#381. When we were on the Ryman campaign, Rick had a cat named Lois, and she was killed, just before I died.

I don't remember if I liked his cat. I don't know if that's a memory gap, or if I never liked cats at all. But I think I like cats now. Another 3% difference.

_-From Living Dead Girl, the blog of Georgia Mason II. Unpublished._

 

~|~

 

After they leave Toronto, they head farther north, until they come to a tiny town, on the edge of a safe zone. It's in this town they decide to stop, for a least a little while.

They never talk about how long, or if it's really going to be forever. Shaun's just happy to have George by his side, and safe. And the future is one thing George doesn't want to talk about. "I'm here, we're together, that's all we need," is her standard answer, and Shaun can't really argue with that.

So they find a tiny house for rent in the tiny town, and they move in, with their van parked in the driveway, and Momi the kitten sharing their bed.

And George teaches herself to bake.

Once again, Shaun finds himself stopped and staring in the doorway, the first time George pulls a tray of cupcakes out of the oven.

"I wanted to learn something new."

Shaun can't argue with baking. The cakes and pies and cookies are all delicious, and George rarely has a failure. And when he takes her to bed at night, he teases her, joking that her kisses are even sweet, from all the sugar she's been consuming. George just pokes his stomach in return, noting the affects of all the baked goods on him, and Shaun decides that going back to kissing and keeping his mouth shut is probably his wisest course of action.

 

~|~

 

**Ways George is Different:**

36\. She makes the best peanut butter cookies I've ever had in my mouth.

_-From Hail to the King, the blog of Shaun Mason. Unpublished._

 

~|~

 

**Things I remember from before:**

#412. I always wanted a mother who would teach me to bake, when I was a little girl. But I had Stacy Mason instead.

If I'm going to learn to bake, it's up to me. 

_-From Living Dead Girl, the blog of Georgia Mason II. Unpublished._

 

~|~

 

At Christmas time, George insists on going all out, decorating every inch of their tiny house. Shaun helps too, amused by her newly-found enthusiasm for the holidays. He joins her in searching for the perfect tree, and once it's found, strings it with lights and hangs the ornaments George bought, from the general store in town. He tries to keep the kitten from climbing it, but that's a lost cause, and instead just picks up the ornaments Momi knocks down.

George bakes up a storm as the snow falls, and the tiny house is filled with the scent of gingerbread, and sugar cookies, and spice cake. They walk through the streets of the tiny town, admiring the bright lights on all the houses, watching the Christmas parade as it goes down Main Street, and joining the singing when the carolers come by.

Shaun can't remember the last time he was excited about Christmas, but George's enthusiasm is contagious. He ends up buying her an embarrassing amount of gifts, wrapping them all out in the van, so they'll be a surprise for her on Christmas morning.

And even though he enjoys the gifts George has for him, the best present Shaun gets that year is George herself - the warmth and press of her body curled up against his in bed on Christmas Eve, the way she wakes him with a kiss and a whispered "Merry Christmas" in the pale light of the early morning, the smile she gives him across the dinner table at the neighbor's house (because as talented a baker George is, her cooking still leaves something to be desired), her hand tucked into his arm as they walk back home. 

Shaun's still amazed that he got the only gift he ever really wanted.

 

~|~

**Ways George is Different:**

38\. She knits homemade Christmas stockings. Badly. But I like that she put a zombie reindeer on mine.

_-From Hail to the King, the blog of Shaun Mason. Unpublished._

 

~|~

 

**Things I remember from before:**

#456 Not really giving a damn about celebrating Christmas.

I don't remember exactly why I didn't care before, but hey, if we're going to be up here near the North Pole, let's do it up right.

_-From Living Dead Girl, the blog of Georgia Mason II. Unpublished._

 

~|~

 

It's early spring, after a long winter, and Shaun is growing restless. George isn't. George seems to be fine just the way they are, in their tiny house, in this tiny town, with their not-so-tiny-anymore cat, and her growing collection of cookie jars.

She's busy in other ways too - this George isn't all _that_ different, and she spends most of her non-baking time on her laptop, working on blog posts, catching up on all the news, and emailing Mahir with questions about this and that. 

Shaun wonders if she misses their old life. Hell, he wonders if _he_ misses their old life. He's happy with George, it's true. He doesn't think he could go back to the way it was, and even with the changes they brought about, it's still a dangerous place. He's not sure if he and George would be safe, if they tried to pick up the pieces of that old life again. 

He misses his people, though. He misses Maggie and Alaric. He misses Mahir. He misses Dave, and Buffy, and Becks. Sometimes he thinks he hears Becks' voice, and he worries that she's going to take up residence in his head, just like another dead girl did once. Sometimes he thinks that wouldn't be so bad.

He's got George back, but he lost so many others, and he feels guilty for missing them. When he has the person he really needs, is it selfish to miss the others?

"You want to do something Irwinish, don't you?" she asks him one night in bed, after a day in which he went for three six mile runs, trying to work off both baked goods and some of his restlessness.

He pulls her closer, so she's half on top of him, her head on his chest, and he's glad it's dark so she can't see his face. "Not really," he tells her, and it's as true as it can be. He doesn't want to bring the danger back to their lives.

George presses a kiss to his neck. "That's too bad, because I do." 

"What do you mean?" He tries to make it a joke out of it. "Are you thinking of a zombie moose hunt?"

"I mean that I've been emailing with Dr. Abbey. She wants to see us."

Shaun's not sure if his heart is beating faster because he's scared of what could come of that, or if it's because he's looking forward to it. "Did she say why?"

"You know how she doesn't like to give too much information away. We're going to have to go there to find out."

"We're going?" Shaun can't keep the surprise out of his voice.

"I told her we'd leave tomorrow morning." George kisses his neck again. "So we better get to sleep."

There's a note in her voice that sounds wistful, and Shaun's not sure if it's for the old life, or for the safety of this one, which they're leaving behind. 

"Shaun?"

"Yeah, George?"

"We're taking the cat."

"Of course we are."

 

~|~

 

**Ways George is Different:**

41\. When I expect her to be, she's not. 

_-From Hail to the King, the blog of Shaun Mason. Unpublished._

 

~|~

 

**Things I remember from before:**

#464. How happy I was when I was chasing a story. I want to be that happy again.

_-From Living Dead Girl, the blog of Georgia Mason II. Unpublished._

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to musesfool and bedlamsbard for the beta!


End file.
